1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a docking apparatus, and more particularly, to a docking apparatus of an electronic apparatus that can support the electronic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent electronic apparatuses such as a mobile communication terminal, smart phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), tablet Personal Computer (PC), hand-held PC, and Portable Multimedia Player (PMP) provide various functions such as a communication function, music reproduction function, photographing function, and Internet connection function. For this, the electronic apparatus may include various components such as, for example, a sound output module, a camera module, and a battery.
As consumers are demanding devices that are more portable, the demand for electronic apparatuses having a form factor that has a small thickness has also been increasing. Further, because the electronic apparatus should have a volume and a weight suitable for carrying, there is a limited mounted space for components. Accordingly, the functionality of the electronic apparatus is limited by the shortage of component mounting space. Furthermore, in an electronic apparatus having a small thickness, it is difficult to secure resonance space of a sound output module (e.g., a speaker), and thus a limitation exists in the audio performance of the sound output module.
Therefore, in order to more effectively use a portable electronic apparatus, and to compensate for its limitations, interest has increased in a docking apparatus that can provide various functions through a connection to the electronic apparatus.
In general, the docking apparatus requires an interface terminal for a connection to an electronic apparatus. However, in the docking apparatus, an interface terminal is permanently exposed to the outside. This external interface terminal limits the design possibilities and the aesthetic appearance of the docking apparatus. Further, with respect to a docking apparatus having an external interface terminal, there is a significant probability that a foreign substance may enter into the interface terminal and that the interface terminal may be damaged.